The life cycle of plastic: microplastics found in turtles, ’ stomachs
Microplastics, including bottle caps and a Halloween toy, were found in the stomachs of 135 loggerhead turtles washed up or killed on the shores of northern Cyprus. Over 40 percent of these turtles contained large pieces of plastic. The study, led by Dr. Emily Duncan from the University of Exeter, found a total of 492 microplastic pieces, with one turtle containing 67 pieces. The plastics were mostly sheetlike (62 percent), clear (41 percent), or white (25 percent), with polypropylene (37 percent) and polyethylene (35 percent) being the most common polymers identified.